My Sweet Boy is Six!

At 5:00 a.m. I checked into the hospital, full of anticipation and excitement!

The induction was to begin at 7:00 and I was thrilled to be having a VBAC (vaginal delivery after c-section) because I had a c-section with Dawson 7 years earlier.

I was tiny. At 38 1/2 weeks I was only measuring at 35 cm. (This had actually caused a stir of concern at about 32 weeks to the point of determining whether I would need to deliver much earlier because of the baby's failure to thrive.) When I checked in, the nurse felt my stomach and just couldn't believe how small he was for a full term baby.

Everything was going good .. for a time. But I started having a strange pain quickly. They went ahead and gave me an epidural when I was only dilated 2 cm. And things went along okay .. for a time. Then I failed to progress and his heart rate started to drop with the contractions. And I started to bleed, unexplainably. We carried on the rest of the morning, and into the afternoon. But then his heart dropped off the chart and started back up at only 20 bpm with a slow climb. When this happened the second time the nurse came in and shut off the Pitocin. The doctor came in and said that we were going to need to do an emergency c-section, that she needed to get him out.

Two problems .. I had already had an epidural so could not, now, have a spinal for the c-section. And it was now just three days before Christmas and I was getting ready to have an emergency c-section. I knew that meant I was going to be in the hospital over Christmas. I was devastated for my other two children!

The doctor upped my epidural as much as she could. I would like to say that I felt nothing during the surgery. However, I felt as though a roast was being carved and I was the roast. I felt every tug of the scalpel. But out he came with a tiny scream.

Eli Jackson Taulman was 5 lbs. 11 ozs. and 19 inches long. He was tiny! I thought, "What am I supposed to do with a baby that small?" My other two were 8 pounds.

I started sobbing. My doctor looked at me and said, "You will go home on Christmas Eve if you want to." And I wanted to. So, I was determined to feel well and recover well so I could go home, and I did on Christmas Eve afternoon. We spent our first Christmas at home with our Boogie Bear. It was so special!

And you can see that no one else was happy he was home.

And every day since then has been just as special. There have always been challenges with his developmental delays, but we always pull through to the other side.

Eli was born so small because my placenta basically stopped working. He was an IUGR baby (Intrauterine Growth Retardation). He wasn't small because he wasn't being fed. God created him to be small so he wouldn't need as much nourishment. Isn't God amazing? Not only did God know every blond hair on his over-sized head, but He purposefully made him small so he could survive in an environment where he wasn't receiving all a typical baby would need. God provides for our specific needs even before we enter this world.

Today is Boogie's 6th birthday. I stand amazed at what this little guy has overcome and accomplished in his short 6 years. Everybody knows Eli, and I mean everybody! His smile draws you in from across the room and if you get close enough his hug draws you in even closer.

I love you Eli Taulman. You are a bright spot in my day. And you are perfect!


Happy Birthday, Boogie Bearapotomus!

Mommy